WADESBORO- “This looks like a torture device,” said Steve Bailey, Outreach Coordinator for the Anson County Historical Society. “But it’s old dentist equipment,” he added.

The dental apparatus joins other historical artifacts, such as a Civil War saber at the Ashe-Covington Medical Museum. “The Civil War sword belonged to Dr William Battle. The Battles lived in Lillesville. He was in the Civil War and then he became a doctor. His great grand children donated that sword,” said Bailey.

The Ashe-Covington Building has housed the Medical Museum since it was given to the historical society in 2000 by Time-Warner Cablevision Co., but the history of the building itself stretches back to 1890 when Dr. Edmund Ashe erected the building as a doctor’s office in 1890. Dr. Ashe would die just two years later.

“His son, the next Dr. Ashe, continued it until 1925 when Dr. Covington came to town and it became Dr. Covington’s office until his passing in 1958,” said Bailey. Dr. James Madison Covington came to Wadesboro from Rockingham in 1900.

In the 1960s and early 1970s, the Ashe-Covington building would be the home of the Anson Record. The Anson Record would move to South Green Street in the mid 70s. The building would become the Cablevision office after The Anson Record’s departure. It would remain the Cablevision office until 2000 when it would consolidate with the Rockingham store and move over there.

The building was empty for a short while and the Time Warner cable people approached the Historical Society and asked the Board of Directors if they wanted this building. The folks in charge at the time at the Historical Society said they would take the building. They decided to turn it into a medical museum.

“When they notified all their members what they were doing, people started cleaning out their attics, basements, their what-nots, you know? It seemed that everybody had a piece of doctor memorabilia somewhere,” said Bailey. “We’re jam-packed room to room now. Occasionally, people still come by to donate an item.”

One such item is a doctor’s certificate. “This certificate was for Dr. William Smithie. It’s dated Oct. 31, 1963 and it’s signed by President John F. Kennedy just three weeks before he died,” said Bailey.

In addition to artifacts, the museum also offers information on a number of notable African Americans from the medical community. One such person is Lillie Massey who was Anson County’s first African American nurse. She was born in 1910 and graduated from Anson County School in 1927 and received her nursing degree from St. Phillips Hospital in Richmond, VA in 1931. Massey would go on to work as a nurse for 16 years at the Anson County Sanatorium.

Dr. Edward Lorenzo Thomas is believed to be the first African American doctor in Anson County. Dr. Edwards was born sometime in the 1880’s and graduated from Shaw University in 1905. He would begin his career as a doctor in Wadesboro around December 1907.

In 1908, just one year after the arrival of Dr. Edwards, the second African American doctor would arrive in Wadesboro. His name was Dr. Fredrick Henry Watkins. He practiced medicine in Wadesboro on Salisbury Street until 1910 at which point he moved to Cabarrus County, NC where he would live until his death in 1925.

Those looking to visit and take a tour of the museum or to donate can contact the Anson County Historical society at 704-694-6694. Many people have just done that over this holiday season. “A lot of people from out of town visit here. Over the holidays, we were open everyday except Christmas day. I was showing the museum to folks who lived in Albuquerque, NM, Fort Washington, MD, Greensboro, NC, Washington D.C. I had a busy time,” said Bailey.

This Civil War saber belonged to Dr. William Battle and was donated to the museum by his great grand children.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_civil-war-saber-2-.jpgThis Civil War saber belonged to Dr. William Battle and was donated to the museum by his great grand children.

It may look like a torture device, but it’s actually dentistry equipment.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_dental-apparatus-2-.jpgIt may look like a torture device, but it’s actually dentistry equipment.

Lillie Massie was the first black nurse in Anson County.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_lilie-streater-2-.jpgLillie Massie was the first black nurse in Anson County.

Trubyte teeth.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_teeth-2-.jpgTrubyte teeth.

https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_meical-museum-2-.jpg

By Charles Wood

Staff Writer

Reach Charles Wood at cwood@ansonrecord.com or at 704-994-5471